IU Recruits Build Rock-Solid Reputations

John Decker

08/08/2008

Bloomington – While the IU basketball program has been trying to clean up its reputation during the spring and summer months, the members of its 2009 recruiting class have been busy building their reputations during that same time span. Scout.com's Evan Daniels talks about what three members of IU's '09 class proved this summer...

Bloomington – While the IU basketball program has been trying to clean up its reputation during the spring and summer months, the members of its 2009 recruiting class have been busy building their reputations during that same time span.

In the spring, it was Jordan Hulls and Bobby Capobianco that emerged as high-major recruits thanks to their play with the Indiana Elite One team, which captured a trio of high profile AAU tournament championships. While Mason Plumlee, Ray McCallum Jr. and Stephan Van Treese might have been the best known members of the team entering the AAU season, both Hulls and Capobianco elevated their stock among college coaches and in the Class of 2009 rankings thanks to their efforts.

Hulls, in particular, went from a mid-major caliber recruit to the eight-best point guard and 92nd ranked player overall nationally. He was the glue for the Indiana Elite team that won the Pitt Jam Fest and the Adidas May Classic, tournaments that helped him secure scholarship offers from Indiana and Purdue along with interest from Stanford and Duke.

"Hulls made a name for himself in the spring and continued to build his reputation in July," said Scout.com recruiting analyst Evan Daniels. "He's a crafty, talented lead man that has all the intangibles you look for in a point guard. Indiana is getting a guy that will come in and act as a lead from day one."

Hulls' value was apparent not only when he was on the floor, but also when he wasn't. Indiana Elite's worst outing of the summer season was easily last month in Las Vegas, when it was without the 6'0", 170-pounder (who played with his Bloomington South team), lost its pool games, and then quickly bowed out of the tournament.

Capobianco, meanwhile, showed he's more than a big body this summer. The 6'8", 230-pounder from Loveland, Ohio, impressed on-lookers with his ability to not only rebound the basketball, but also face up and knock down shots from the perimeter.

Capobianco's consistency was one of the things that stood out to Daniels, and it was one of the reasons Crean welcomed him as his first commit for the '09 class.

"Capobianco basically produced the say way he has the whole year," Daniels said. "At 6'8", he's a guy you can rely on to hit mid-range jumpers and when he wants to be a force around the basket. He's still not consistent with his effort inside, but he's a wide, tough kid that can rebound and score around the bucket."

While Hulls and Capobianco started turning heads in the spring, Maurice Creek closed out the AAU season extremely strong. He missed some of the early AAU tournaments due to school commitments, but capped the summer with big performances in Las Vegas at the Reebok Summer Championship. With members of the IU staff looking on the Hargrave Military Academy standout was one of the top long-range shooters in Vegas, knocking down 3-pointers in bunches.

There's more to Creek's game than just an ability to score from the perimeter, but Daniels says that's clearly the skill that makes him one of the top 100 players in the country and Scout.com's 19th-ranked shooting guard in the nation.

"He certainly showed an ability to knock down shots, especially from long range," Daniels said. "Creek established himself as a quality shooter and a guy that will be able to score some points in the college ranks."